Cigarette perforator



Nov. 24, 1964 e. RISK CIGARETTE PERFORATOR Filed May 4, 1964 llllll'lflllllll lNVENTOR GEORGE P/SK il ll..-

A TTOPNE) United States Patent 3,153,157 CIGARETTE FERFURATQR George Risk, 2659 Pershing Road, Columbus, Nebr. Filed May 4, 19 34, Ser. No. 364,422 3 Claims. {(Il. 131-170) This invention relates to a process for providing a plurality of perforations circumferentially about the periphery of a cigarette. Particularly, this invention is directed to a compact simple unitary apparatus that provides the plurality of circularly disposed perforations into the cigarette at a pre-selected depth and at a pre-selected position along the tubular length thereof.

It has been theorized for quite some time that there are health hazards attendant with the use of tobacco products, particularly with regard to cigarettes. As suction is applied by the user against an ignited cigarette, the user draws or puffs its smoke-like combustion products into the mouth, throat, and lungs of the respiratory tract, at least a portion of the smoke being absorbed by the respiratory tract linings. Presumably certain constituents of the absorbed smoke, including vaporized tars and nicotine, jeopardize the health of the smoker in proportion to the volume of combustion products so drawn into the respiratory tract.

Recently, it has been learned that the presence of perforations extending through the cigarette paper and into the enclosed tobacco will purify the smoke drawn into the users respiratory tract. The purification results because pure and cooler ambient air rushes through the' perforations at the same time the smoke-like combustion products are drawn along the tubular length of the cigarette, so as to recondense the heavier molecular weight vaporized tar components within the cigarette before they can be drawn into the mouth. Further, because the typical cigarette user habitually exerts a constant degree of suction against a cigarette, the air drawn through the perforations decreases the proportionate amount of tobacco combustion product drawn into the mouth for every puff. Thus, the term purification is herein defined as a recondensation of the heavier molecular weight tar components within the cigarette together with air dilution of the remaining combustion products drawn into the mouth. It has also been learned that the deeper the perforations extend into the cigarette tobacco, the smaller is the amount of combustion product drawn into the respiratory tract per puff.

Desirable as deeper perforations are from the health standpoint, there is a proportional loss in smoking pleasure because of the decrease in the combustion product drawn in. Yet, it has been realized that the multi-perforate cigarette concept offers a way for the user of cigarettes to gradually decrease and eventually abandon the use of cigarettes. Presumably, the smoker could utilize progressively deeper perforations over a period of time and thus be gradually satisfied with correspondingly lower levels of tobacco combustion products. Hopefully, the smoker could eventually eliminate the habit entirely.

While there are a very few brands of circumferentially perforate cigarettes on the market, the perforations so furnished are necessarily of a standard depth. It would be an inventory impossibility for cigarette manufactures to provide, even for a few brands, a graduated set of perforation depths. On the other hand, there is no known apparatus presently available that will enable the cigarette smoker to perforate his favorite brand cigarette to the desired depth. Obviously, the cigarette smoker could do this manually with a sharp pin, but this is a tedious and inaccurate process and could not be done on the spur-ofthe-moment at the time he wishes to indulge in a cigarette. There is no way for a cigarette smoker to perforate his 3,158,157 Patented Nov. 24, 1964 chosen brand of cigarette progressively deeper on a controlled basis over a period of time.

Thus, it is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus whereby the cigarette smoker can quickly, simply, and accurately provide a plurality of cir cumferentially disposed perforations into a cigarette at a pre-selected depth and at a pre-selected position along the tubular length thereof.

This object is attained by means of a cigarette perforator having a cylindrical array of sharply pointed teeth, said array being snugly yet slidably enclosed by the convergent inside contour of an axially perforate barrel member, whereby an arbitrarily selected sliding movement of the barrel member converges the teeth array a limited degree into the periphery of a cigarette that is positioned a measured distance into the array of sharply pointed teeth.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the cigarette perforator.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the perforator taken along line 22 in FIGURE 1 and includes a cigarette in elevation therein before being perforated.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded side elevational view of the several parts of the cigarette perforator device shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Cigarette perforator 1%) of the present invention comprises a cylindrical plunger member 11 and includes a first end having a cylindrical socket perforation 12 along the plunger member central axis. The second end of plunger member 11 is provided with an axial threaded perforation 13 that is of smaller diameter than cylindrical socket 12. A threaded plug 14 having a slotted end is securely engaged by threaded perforation 13. Cylindrical cap member 15 having an axial perforation 16 fits tightly over the second end of plunger member 11; termi nus 17 of cap member 15, which is nearest to the first end of plunger member 11, is of cam-like contour.

A cylindrical comb member 18, comprising an array of sharply pointed teeth 19 integrally joined together in spaced relationship by means of cylindrical web 26, is tightly surrounded by the perforate first end 12 of plunger member 11. As is shown in the FIGURE 3 exploded View, the cylindrical comb member 18 may be conveniently provided in flat planar form and then subsequently rolled into cylindrical form for insertion into perforation 12 of plunger member 11. The comb member is preferably made from a resiliently defiectable sheet material, e.g., sheet metal, because when subsequently rolled into cylindrical form, the resiliency of the material will cause the cylindrical comb member to expand against and be tightly held by plunger member 11. There are several ways in which to insure secure attachment of the cylindrical comb member 18 to the first end of plunger member 12. For example, comb member 18 maybe soldered or welded to the first end of plunger member 11. Alternately, as shown in the drawing, comb member 18 may be pressed tightly against plunger member by means of a rigid centrally perforate split ring 21.

A thin-walled hollow cylindrical barrel member 22 revolvably and slidably encloses both the first end of punger member 11 and the attached cyindrical comb member 18. The interior contour of hollow barrel member 22. adjacent to the top edge 23 is of a cylindrical nature While the bottom 24 of the inside contour is of a convergent nature, herein hemispherical. Hollow barrel member 22 includes an axial perforation 25 that intersects the inside contour bottom 24. Slidable attachment of hollow barrel member 22 to the plunger member 11 is herein provided by means of a restraining peg 26 passing through and frictionally engaged by the barrel member s Wall, said restraining peg 26 protruding into a circumferenhal groove 27 of plunger member 11.

Colinear with the barrel member wall and attached to,

the top edge 23 thereof is a spacing pin 28 passing into and frictionally engaged by the barrel wall. Spacing pin 28 must be of sufficient length whereby when the top edge 23 is moved toward the cam-like terminus 17 of cap member K5, the spacing pin 23 will engage the cam-like terminus 17 before the concurrently moving restraining peg 26 is restricted in its movement by rear wall 29 of circumferential groove 27.

There are graduated indicia between the highest and lowest points of cam-like contour 17, the graduated indicia being carried either circumferentially about the plunger member 11 near the juncture with its associated cap member 15, or preferably as is shown, upon the cap member itself. In FIGURE 1, of the drawing, the highest point of cam-like contour 17 carries the character 9, while the lowest point carries the character 4; intermediate characters 1, 2, and 3 are spaced at regu lar intervals between the t3 and 4. There is an indicator or pointer near the top edge 23 of barrel member 22, the pointer herein being provided by the spacing pin 28.

The. cigarette perforator of the present invention operates in the following manner. Barrel member 22 is rotated about plunger member 11 until its associated pointer, herein designated as spacing pin 28, is opposite an arbitnarily selected indicia character. As will be later explained in greater detail, the depth of perforation to be made is dependent upon the proximity of the pointer to the lowest point of the cam-like contour 1'7, e.g., char: acter 4 in FIGURE 1. Then, one end (that which is to be ultimately placed into the smokers mouth) of a conventional inch diameter cigarette 39 is inserted a conveinent distance through barrel perforation 25 and into the interior of barrel member 22. Next, the barrel member 22 is moved leftwardly along plunger member 11 until spacing pin 28 engages the cam-like contour 17 of cap member 15 at the pro-selected graduated position. Dtu-ing this leftward movement, the sharply pointed teeth 19 of cylindrical comb member 18 are convergently directed toward the axis of the perforation 25 by the convergent interior bottom 24 pressing against sharply pointed teeth 19. Each of the convergently directed teeth penetrate through the cigarette paper and deeply into the cigarette itself so as to provide a plurality of perforations circumferentially about the cigarette 30. 'When the barrel member 22 is slidably returned to its original rightward position, the array of sharply pointed teeth 19, being resiliently defiectable, reassume its normal cylindrical configuration. If the teeth possess a high degree of resiliency, then their inherent springiness will automatically slidably return the barrel member to its original rightward position.

If a smoker desires a very shallow set of perforations into the cigarette 3d, the barrel member 22 is rotated until its associated pointer 28 is opposite indicia character 0. As the barrel member 22 is moved leftwardly, its leftward movement is limited by the abutment of spacing pin 28 against the highest point 0 of cam-like contour 17; thus the sharply pointed teeth 19 are converged only, a limited degree by the convergent interior bottom 24 of barrel member22. On the other hand, if the smoker desires a deeper set of perforations into the cigarette 30, the barrel member 22 is rotated until its associated pointer 23 is opposite a higher numbered indicia character, e.g., 3, that is on a lower point of cam-like contour 17. In this new position, the leftward travel of barrel member 22 is permissably greater and the sharply pointed teeth 19 are converged a greater degree by the convergent interior bottom 24.

The location of the circularly disposed perforations along the length of cigarette 30 is determined by the arbitrarily selected depth to which the cigarette is inserted into perforation 25; So as to'insure uniformity of the circularly disposed perforations along the length of the cigarette, the slotted and threaded plug 14 is employed. The position of plug 14 along threaded perfora tion 13 can be adjusted by means of a screwdriver inserted through perforation 16. When the plug 14 is so positioned along perforation 13, it acts as a restraining abutment for cigarette 39 and thus insures uniform location of the perforations along the tubular length of the cigarette.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for providing a plurality of perforations circularly disposed about a cigarette and to a preselected depth at any pro-selected position along the tubular length of the cigarette, said device comprising:

(A) A cylindrical plunger member, a first end being perforate along the central axis thereof,

(8) A cylindrical cap member integral with the second end of said cylindrical plunger member, the terminus of said cylindrical cap member nearer to the plunger member first end being of a cam-like contour,

(C) A cylindrical comb member comprising a plurality of sharply pointed teeth spaced around and and integrally joined to a cylindrical web, said sharply pointed teeth extending substantially parallel with the central axis of said cylindrical web, said sharply pointed teeth being resiliently defiectable perpendicular to the central axis of said cylindrical comb member, said cylindrical comb member being attached to the first end of said plunger member,

(D) A thin-walled hollow barrel member revolvably and slidably secured about said plunger member first end, the inside contour of said barrel member being of convergent configuration at the bottom end, said hollow barrel member being perforate along the central axis thereof through the bottom of said inside contour,

(E) A spacing pin colinear with the barrel wall and attached thereto at its top end, said spacing pin being of appropriate length whereby when the top end of the hollow barrel member is moved toward the cam-like contour of the cap member, the sharply pointed teeth of the comb member are converged by the bottom end inside contour of the barrel member.

2. A device for circumferen-tially perforating a cigarette to a pro-selected depth at any pre-selected longitudinal position along the cigarette, said device compris- (A) A circumferentially grooved cylindrical plunger member, a first end of said cylindrical plunger being provided with a cylindrical socket along the central axis thereof,

(B) A cylindrical cap member integral with the second end of said cylindrical plunger member, the terminus of said cylindrical cap member nearer to the plunger member first end being of a cam like contoun'said cap member near its cam-like terminus being provided with graduated indicia, 1 (C) A cylindrical comb member comprising a plurality of sharply pointed teeth spaced around and nitsgrally joined to a cylindrical Web, said sharp teeth having portions thereof colinear with the outer surface of said cylindricalweb, said sharp teeth being resiliently deflectable perpendicular to the central axis of said cylindrical comb member, said cylindrical comb member being positioned within said plunger member first end cylindricalsocket and being resilently held tightly against the internal wall of said plunger member cylindrical socket,

(D) A thin-walled hollow barrel member revolv-ably and slidably secured about said plunger member first end, the inside contour of said barrel member being cylindrical near a top end thereof and of convergent configuration at the bottom end, said hollow barrel member being perforate along the. central axis thereof through the bottom of said inside contour,

(E) A restraining peg passing through and attached to the side wall of said hollow barrel member, said restraining peg extending into the grooved portion of said cylindrical plunger member, and A (F) A spacing pin colinear with the barrel wall and attached thereto at its top end, said spacing pin functioning as a pointer for the cap member indicia and being of sufiicient length whereby when the top end of the hollow barrel member is moved toward the cam-like contour of the cap member, the sharply pointed teeth of the comb member are converged by the bottom end inside contour of the barrel member and whereby the spacing pin will engage the cam- 3. A device for circumferentially perforating a cigarette to a pre-selected depth at any pre-selected longitudinal position along the cigarette, said device comprising:

(A) A circumferential-1y grooved cylindrical plunger member, a first end of said cylindrical plunger being provided with a cylindrical socket along the central axis thereof, a second end of said cylindrical plunger member being threadedly perforate along the central axis thereof,

(B) A circumferentially threaded plug engaged by said threaded perforation, the end of said plug closest to the second end of said cylindrical plunger member being slotted,

(C) A cylindrical cap member integral with the second end of said cylindrical plunger member, the cylindrical cap member being perforate along the central axis thereof, the terminus of said cylindrical cap member nearer to the plunger member grooved portion being of a cam-like contour, said cap member nearer to the cam-like terminus being provided with graduated indicia,

(D) A cylindrical comb member comprising a plurality of sharply pointed teeth spaced around and integrally joined to a cylindrical web, said sharp teeth having portions thereof colinear with the outer surface of said cylindrical web and adjacent thereto, said sharp teeth being resiliently defiectable perpendicularto the central axis of said cylindrical comb member, said cylindrical comb member being positioned within said plunger member first end cylindrical socket and being held tightly against the walls of said cylindrical socket by means of a centrally perforate split ring,

(E) A thin-walled hollow barrel member revolvably and slidably enclosing said plunger member first end, the inside contour of said barrel member being cylindrical near a top end thereof and of hemisphenical configuration at the bottom end, said hollow barrel member being perforate along the central axis thereof through the bottom of said inside contour,

(F) A restraining peg passing through the side Wall of said hollow barrel member perpendicular to the central axis thereof, said restraining peg extending into the grooved portion of said cylindrical plunger member, and

(G) A spacing pin colinear with the barrel wall and attached thereto at its top end, said spacing pin functioning as a pointer for the cap member indicia and being of sufiicient length whereby when the top end of the hollow barrel member is moved toward the cam-like contour of the cap member, the sharply pointed teeth of the comb member are converged by the bottom end inside contour of the barrel member and whereby the spacing pin will engage the cam-like contour before the concurrently moving restraining peg is restricted in its movement by the plunger member grooved portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,092,172 4/14 Rosenberg 131 253f 1,167,184 1/16 Knuntila 131' 1s8 1,186,727 6/16 Anderson 131-188 2,694,399 11/54 Parker et al. 131 170 2,832,354 4/58 Miller 131-254 2,854,010 9/58 Stamm 131--253X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,246,180 10/60 France.

12,153 1888 Great Britain.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner. 

3. A DEVICE FOR CIRCUMFERENTIALLY PERFORATING A CIGARETTE TO A PRE-SELECTED DEPTH AT ANY PRE-SELECTED LONGITUDINAL POSITION ALONG THE CIGARETTE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY GROOVED CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER MEMBER, A FIRST END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER BEING PROVIDED WITH A CYLINDRICAL SOCKET ALONG THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF, A SECOND END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER MEMBER BEING THREADEDLY PERFORATE ALONG THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF, (B) A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THREADED PLUG ENGAGED BY SAID THREADED PERFORATION, THE END OF SAID PLUG CLOSEST TO THE SECOND END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER MEMBER BEING SLOTTED, (C) A CYLINDRICAL CAP MEMBER INTEGRAL WITH THE SECOND END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER MEMBER, THE CYLINDRICAL CAP MEMBER BEING PERFORATE ALONG THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF, THE TERMINUS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL CAP MEMBER NEARER TO THE PLUNGER MEMBER GROOVED PORTION BEING OF A CAM-LIKE CONTOUR, SAID CAP MEMBER NEARER TO THE CAM-LIKE TERMINUS BEING PROVIDED WITH GRADUATED INDICIA, (D) A CYLINDRICAL COMB MEMBER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SHARPLY POINTED TEETH SPACED AROUND AND INTEGRALLY JOINED TO A CYLINDRICAL WEB, SAID SHARP TEETH HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF COLINEAR WITH THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID CYLINDRICAL WEB AND ADJACENT THERETO, SAID SHARP TEETH BEING RESILIENTLY DEFLECTABLE PERPENDICULAR TO THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL COMB MEMBER, SAID CYLINDRICAL COMB MEMBER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID PLUNGER MEMBER FIRST END CYLINDRICAL SOCKET AND BEING HELD TIGHTLY AGAINST THE WALLS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL SOCKET BY MEANS OF A CENTRALLY PERFORATE SPLIT RING, (E) A THIN-WALLED HOLLOW BARREL MEMBER REVOLVABLY AND SLIDABLY ENCLOSING SAID PLUNGER MEMBER FIRST END, THE INSIDE CONTOUR OF SAID BARREL MEMBER BEING CYLINDRICAL NEAR A TOP END THEREOF AND OF HEMISPHERICAL CONFIGURATION AT THE BOTTOM END, SAID HOLLOW BARREL MEMBER BEING PERFORATE ALONG THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF SAID INSIDE CONTOUR, (F) A RESTRAINING PEG PASSING THROUGH THE SIDE WALL OF SAID HOLLOW BARREL MEMBER PERPENDICULAR TO THE CENTRAL AXIS THEREOF, SAID RESTRAINING PEG EXTENDING INTO THE GROOVED PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL PLUNGER MEMBER, AND (G) A SPACING PIN COLINEAR WITH THE BARREL WALL AND ATTACHED THERETO AT ITS TOP END, SAID SPACING PIN FUNCTIONING AS A POINTER FOR THE CAP MEMBER INDICIA AND BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH WHEREBY WHEN THE TOP END OF THE HOLLOW BARREL MEMBER IS MOVED TOWARD THE CAM-LIKE CONTOUR OF THE CAP MEMBER, THE SHARPLY POINTED TEETH OF THE COMB MEMBER ARE CONVERGED BY THE BOTTOM END INSIDE CONTOUR OF THE BARREL MEMBER AND WHEREBY THE SPACING PIN WILL ENGAGE THE CAM-LIKE CONTOUR BEFORE THE CONCURRENTLY MOVING RESTRAINING PEG IS RESTRICTED IN ITS MOVEMENT BY THE PLUNGER MEMBER GROOVED PORTION. 